Aviation History

[Chuck]

What a find:

https://bayourenaissanceman.blogspot.co ... story.html

An Airco DH.9 bomber from World War I had been discovered in - of all places! - an elephant stable in India, and is being restored.

[Ralph]

Lovely growl of radial engines the other evening rushed outside just in time
to see of all things a Avro Anson fly over our house, didn't know any were
still flying, it went into Blackpool so could be a early arrival for next weekends
airshow.

[GeeRam]

Actually two DH.9 were recovered from India by Guy Black, the one featured is E8894 which is being restored to flying condition, with the other one, D5649 is being restored to museum quality static for the Imperial War Museum, both are being restored by Retrotech down in Sussex.

[TomH]

Actually two DH.9 were recovered from India by Guy Black, the one featured is E8894 which is being restored to flying condition, with the other one, D5649 is being restored to museum quality static for the Imperial War Museum, both are being restored by Retrotech down in Sussex.

I've got mixed feelings when it comes to so called restorations to flying condition. Unfortunately, so much of the original structure is replaced that it could almost be called a replica. I remember talking to one of the staff at the Shuttleworth Collection years ago, when they were thinking of making their De Havilland Comet airworthy and he was rattling off a list of all that would be binned. The entire fabic covering the aircraft for starters.

[Chuck]

Replia or original - I'd love to see all those old planes flying.

Those WW1 bombers like the Avro's, Blackburns and Faireys. Even some of the lesser known WW2 planes like the Boulton Paul Defiant, Westland Whirlwind, Hawker Tempests and Typhoons etc etc. That would be real history alive and kicking.

[GeeRam]

Actually two DH.9 were recovered from India by Guy Black, the one featured is E8894 which is being restored to flying condition, with the other one, D5649 is being restored to museum quality static for the Imperial War Museum, both are being restored by Retrotech down in Sussex.

I've got mixed feelings when it comes to so called restorations to flying condition. Unfortunately, so much of the original structure is replaced that it could almost be called a replica. I remember talking to one of the staff at the Shuttleworth Collection years ago, when they were thinking of making their De Havilland Comet airworthy and he was rattling off a list of all that would be binned. The entire fabic covering the aircraft for starters.

The DH.9 that is being restored for the IWM was the more original of the two examples found, for that reason, the one being restored to flight was pretty much a collection of scrap parts and the all important identity - hence a perfect candidate to make airworthy.

In the case of the Comet you mention, it's been rebuilt/recovered/restored many times during its life anyway, in fact most fabric covered aircraft, by default/design will have been recovered during their service life as it's a time expired service item by design.

[TomH]

Actually two DH.9 were recovered from India by Guy Black, the one featured is E8894 which is being restored to flying condition, with the other one, D5649 is being restored to museum quality static for the Imperial War Museum, both are being restored by Retrotech down in Sussex.

I've got mixed feelings when it comes to so called restorations to flying condition. Unfortunately, so much of the original structure is replaced that it could almost be called a replica. I remember talking to one of the staff at the Shuttleworth Collection years ago, when they were thinking of making their De Havilland Comet airworthy and he was rattling off a list of all that would be binned. The entire fabic covering the aircraft for starters.

The DH.9 that is being restored for the IWM was the more original of the two examples found, for that reason, the one being restored to flight was pretty much a collection of scrap parts and the all important identity - hence a perfect candidate to make airworthy.

In the case of the Comet you mention, it's been rebuilt/recovered/restored many times during its life anyway, in fact most fabric covered aircraft, by default/design will have been recovered during their service life as it's a time expired service item by design.

Yes, you are right there. It's when only a small part is used to justify restoration that it gets blurred, as in the Spitfire "restored" on the Guy Martin programme. As long as the majority (by volume or weight) is intact that's OK. Good point about perishable/replacement components. I suppose;as an example, that say HMS Victory or Warrior would have replacement masts spars and rigging every few years. So we can never expect everything historic to be X years old.

[GeeRam]

I suppose;as an example, that say HMS Victory or Warrior would have replacement masts spars and rigging every few years.

Indeed.

Victory or HMS Triggers Broom was much modified/upgraded during her service life, not to mentioned considerable battle damaged repairs. Add to that her neglect after the end of her front line service in the mid 1800's resulting in her being in very poor condition by the turn of the 20th century. Don't forget, she was still afloat (barely) at this time and the RN wanted to scrap her, and it took the personal intervention of Edward VII to save her, and by the time she was moved into the dry dock after the end of WW1, she needed a lot of repair and replacement of timbers/planking etc. I think a lot of her oak timbers were replaced by a different wood type as well.

I think it was a crying shame there wasn't more pressure put on the RN to keep/save one of its last battleships (HMS Warspite or KGV would probably been the likely candidates, in fact there was talk of Warspite being saved as a museum ship by the time of VE Day, so the RN swiftly made sure she would go to the scrappers instead the following year........even though the old girl decided to have the last laugh by breaking free and running aground off the coast of Cornwall on the tow to the scrappers.
We still had the chance to save KGV as well, as she was mothballed in the reserve fleet at Faslane all through the 1950's until being unceremoniously scrapped in the late 50's.